Those Three Words
by river.and.the.doctor
Summary: prompt fill: Santana gets into a car accident, leaving her unable to speak. Dani does her best to try and help her even though frustrations sometimes run high. ONE-SHOT


**I wrote this fanfic for the following prompt I got on tumblr:  
>santana gets into a car accident and it damages the part of the brain that deals with speech so she's learning how to talk again and Dani is helping her with her Abc's and santana gets frustrated so they take a break and San says I love you.<br>**

**I don't own any of the glee characters, only the writing is mine and I hope you will enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Part 1<strong>

You are so caught up in strumming on your guitar while trying to find the perfect melody for some lyrics you wrote that you don't hear your phone ringing for the first couple of times.

It's only after you have decided to take a break and put away your guitar that you notice you have in fact three missed calls. You don't recognize the number though so you figure you should probably call back.

However, just as your thumb is hovering over the little green horn button, your phones starts vibrating again.

You are quick to pick up this time, greeting the person on the other end with a cheerful "Hi this is Dani speaking."

The voice on the other end is decidedly less cheerful unfortunately and your blood runs cold when you hear a female voice say "Hi Dani, this is Linda Shay calling from the Brooklyn Hospital Center…"

After that the rest of the conversation basses by in a blur and you barely register anything other than the words 'Santana Lopez' and 'car accident'. You stay in this state of shock all the way towards the hospital to which you arrive without even really realizing how you got there. You're pretty sure you have broken every speed limit there is and even ran a red light or two.

Not that it matters though.

You could get a thousand of speeding tickets and you still wouldn't care as long as it would have gotten you to your Santana faster.

On shaky legs you make your way inside, heading for the reception desk in the welcoming hall.

A nurse with red curls greets you with a smile and asks you if she can help you with anything.

In return you try to smile back even though you're pretty sure it looks more like a grimace than anything else. "Hi yeah" you rasp, your throat suddenly dry "my girlfriend… she was in an accident."

It's all you can get out without diving into full on hysterics. You need to stay strong now, for yourself and for Santana. You need to be there for her to make her feel better if she is in pain and to support her if anything more serious is wrong.

You don't want to think about that yet though, first you just need to see her and hear how she is.

Luckily the nurse understands and with a now sympathetic look she asks for Santana's name, which you give her without hesitation.

"Ah yes I see" the nurse continues, looking at her screen with a frown. "It seems that she is in surgery now but if you want I can take you to the waiting room there and have someone notify the doctor he needs to come see you afterwards."

Your insides drop even more at what you just heard but you still manage to nod dumbly, not trusting your voice at this moment in time.

Surgery. Santana's in surgery.

Even you, with your lack of medical knowledge other than what you learned from Grey's Anatomy, know that that is not a good sign at al.

"What happened to her?" you finally ask the nurse once she has guided you to a small waiting area somewhere in the building and you are seated on one of those uncomfy chairs.

"I don't know sweetie," she tells you and it makes you even more anxious. "I'm sure the doctor will be here shortly though and he will be able to tell you much more."

* * *

><p><strong>Part 2<strong>

It's about two hours later and you are still waiting.

By now you are no longer alone though because half an hour into the waiting time your mind cleared enough to realise you should probably also call Rachel and Kurt. They are you and Santana's best friends after all.

Of course they immediately rushed over much like you had done and like you they also had millions of questions. None of which you could answer unfortunately.

Luckily after they had realised you didn't know anything either they had stopped asking and had actually realised you were really not into a talking mood. After that they had quietly seated themselves on either side of you, silently offering their support just by being here and making you feel just a tiny bit better.

Neither of you has moved much since then. Both Rachel and Kurt are flipping their way through some magazines they found, occasionally commenting on something they read. You don't really listen and are nervously tapping your foot against the floor, keeping your stare focussed directly on the doors that read 'Emergency Room'.

Two hours and twelve minutes is the total amount of time you have been waiting when finally those damned doors open and a man in green scrubs walks out.

You see him look around in question but before he can open his mouth you are already out of your chair and making your way towards him.

"Are you Santana's doctor?" you ask him as soon as you are near.

He doesn't seem too surprised by your somewhat aggressive nature and smiles at you kindly as you feel Rachel and Kurt move to your sides.

"Are you by any chance miss Dani Harper?" he asks you and you nod emphatically, silently thanking Santana for insisting you guys should be each other's emergency contacts. "Have they told you anything yet?"

"No they have not, sir" you ask and you receive an emphatic look from him. You don't want his pity though, you just want answers and you want them now. You have been waiting long enough.

"So tell me" you demand, being more forceful than you would normally ever be.

The doctor doesn't comment luckily and simply launches into a much needed explanation.

He tells you that Santana's car got T-boned at an intersection and in result she got thrown around, making her head slam against the driver's side car door. It in turn had caused some internal bleeding inside her skull, building up dangerous pressure and thus requiring immediate surgery.

"Fortunately the surgery went well and we could stop the bleeding." He continues and it makes you feel a hundred times lighter. "She is stable for now, we will know more about any lasting effects when she wakes up."

The fact that she seems to be okay for now makes you extremely happy. So happy in fact that in a wave of sudden glee you throw your arms around the doctors neck and hug him fiercely. "Thank you so much doc!" you tell him, tears that you hadn't allowed to fall before suddenly pricking your eyes.

He hugs you back awkwardly and when you pull back at noticing this he adjusts his coat and clears his throat before saying "I'm sure you'd like to go see her now."

It almost causes you to fly at him again but you contain yourself this time and just smile widely while nodding eagerly.

"Well come on then" he says, gesturing for you and your two friends to follow him which you do eagerly.

Finally, after all that waiting, you will see her again. After spending two hours wondering if you would ever be able to again you will kiss her and tell her how much you love her.

And then, after she wakes up, she will say those magical three words to you too and you know for sure your heart will be healed once more.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 3<strong>

Your fingers trace pattern's on the soft skin of Santana's right under arm. It's one of the few places of naked skin that you can see that is not injured or bruised in some way.

Her left arm is in a white plaster cast, broken by the impact of the crash, and there is a thick bandage around her head. There are also cuts and bruises all over her beautiful face and whenever you look at them you have to swallow away the lump that forms in your throat.

Not too long ago a police officer came by to check if Santana was awake already telling you he needed a statement from her. Of course you had asked him if he knew more about what exactly happened but by now you almost wished you hadn't.

If some silly freak accident had been the cause of your girlfriend laying here, looking all pale, in a hospital bed you would have been somewhat ok with it. Of course you would still be worried sick and would have felt life was extremely unfair. But knowing now that all of this was because some stupid asshole got in his car after having one too many beers was simply something you couldn't accept.

You had screamed then, your normally peaceful and cheery demeanour turning into something it had never been before. It had taken both Kurt and Rachel to keep you from marching to the police station in order to find that bastard and kick his ass. They had held your arms tightly to keep you there but the thing that had ultimately deterred you from going had been the soft groaning that had suddenly filled the room.

It had been Santana of course, she had still been asleep but her face had scrunched up while she groaned and mumbled sleepily. You had rushed to her side and had grabbed her hand, giving her a soft kiss on her lips and telling you were there.

Since then you have been talking to her about everything and anything. You figure hearing your voice might wake her up sooner or at least calm her down a bit. It seems to be working because so far she has been sleeping rather peacefully.

It's only when you've just started telling her about how her mom has been sending you her awesome recipes that she starts making sounds again.

This time however they are low mumbles paired with the fluttering of her eyes. With a start you realise that it actually looks like she is about to wake up.

"Santana?" you thus ask her, standing up and leaning over her, still grasping her hand firmly.

The action also grabs Rachel and Kurt's attention and they too move to the side of the bed.

By now you can feel Santana softly squeezing your hand and her face screws up in pain as her eyes squeeze shut.

"Don't worry baby, you're safe" you try to comfort her "it's me Dani, let me see those beautiful eyes of yours."

That seems to do the trick as her eyes slowly flutter open, she blinks groggily a few times obviously adjusting to the light overhead. At the other side of the bed you hear Kurt gasp softly and you smile widely down at her, so immensely happy she is finally awake.

You bring up her hand, kissing her knuckles and holding it to your cheek afterwards. "Hey there sleeping beauty" you greet her, tears of relief rolling down your cheeks.

She doesn't verbally respond and instead goes to raise her left hand towards you, making her flinch in obvious pain.

It's very clear that she is now realising something is wrong and that she is not in her own bed, her head moves around in question. Her gaze sweeps across the room, taking in the white sterile décor before landing on your friends.

"Hi Santana!" Rachel greets with that mega-watt smile of hers that Santana usually can't help but make fun of. Even now, just awake after freaking brain surgery, your girlfriend finds it in her to roll her eyes and like usual you giggle at her antics. It seems like she's still her old self.

The sound makes her turn towards you once more and she looks at you lovingly before opening her mouth to speak.

However nothing but a throaty sound comes out and for a minute she looks confused.

Figuring her mouth must be dry from the anaesthesia you are quick to grab the glass of water from her bedside table and help her sit up to take a few sips. "You are in the hospital sweetie, you got into an accident" you explain as she drinks, "but don't worry ok? You are going to be just fine."

After the glass is empty you help her lay back down again, tucking her hair behind her ear lovingly.

Once again she opens her mouth and once more no real syllables coming out.

You watch her closely as she swallows and tries again. It's to no avail however and after the third attempt you hear one of your friends doubtfully say "Santana?"

That isn't what makes your insides twist however, it's the look of absolute fear that suddenly clouds your girlfriend's eyes.

Something is horribly and terribly wrong.

"Baby?" you ask her, not being able to keep your own fear out of your voice "what's wrong?"

She tries her best to answer you, failing horribly and making you tense up in worry.

This time it's Kurt who speaks up "Santana… can you, can you talk?" he inquires softly, he too having noticed something is not right.

At this you feel her hand squeeze yours even tighter, your eyes locking with hers into an intense gaze as she moves her head shaking it from side to side.

_No_.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 4<strong>

You sit quietly in a hospital chair, watching the doctor examine Santana. Your hands wring together nervously, aching to be near her and hold her hands once more.

When the examination had begun both Rachel and Kurt had been send out of the room. You almost had been too but the desperate grip your girlfriend had kept on your hand had made the medical staff realise she wanted you here. Something for which you were extremely grateful, there is no way you're leaving Santana alone right now.

So far the doctor has checked the nasty incision site (that almost made you hurl) on your girlfriend's head and you are glad that at least that seemed to be doing well. He also checked out Santana's blood pressure – which was also fine – and is now shining a light in her eyes.

When he is done examining her body he straightens up again and immediately you take your place on the side of the bed again, making your girlfriend shuffle over a bit to make room for you. Your hands find each other again and together you look at the doctor expectantly.

You know that only now the most crucial part of his examination is here.

"Everything seems to be fine so far," he tells the both of you, a smile which you think is supposed to be reassuring on his face. "Now I am going to ask you some questions and if you can try to answer ok?"

He waits until your girlfriend has giving him a nod and you give her hand a comforting squeeze.

"What is your name?" is his first question.

You hold your breath in anticipation, hoping that Santana's previous inability to speak was just some sort of weird after effect of the anaesthesia.

When once again only a few stray sounds get past those lovely lips of hers you do your best not to show your disappointment and turn your head towards her to give her a small peck on the cheek.

"Do you know what your name is?" the doctor asks next "just nod yes or no."

Luckily Santana seems to understand everything just fine and you are relieved when she nods in affirmation.

Next the doctor produces a pen from the breast pocket of his white lab coat. "Do you know what this is?" he asks, getting another nod. "Can you tell me what's it called?"

This time the girl next to you gets farther than she has before and manages to stutter out a shaky "P…p…" That's where it ends though but you are still proud, you know the word is somewhere inside of her head it just can't seem to get out. Yet.

"Good job baby" you tell her, doing your best to smile your brightest smile because she seems more frustrated at her inability to speak than happy at showing even some small progress. It has the effect you were hoping for and she turns towards you, this time a small smile also tugging at the corner of her lips.

In turn you kiss her softly on the lips and tell her that you have absolute faith in her and that everything will be alright.

After that the doctor asks a few more questions all of which don't produce any real answers. However, occasionally Santana still manages to get some of the letters or syllables right and you make sure to show her your pride every time.

A writing test shows that that too proves to be difficult for Santana and you try to comfort her as best as possible when you see a mixture of panic and frustration cloud her eyes. While doing so you have to push away your own fears, knowing that showing them would only make your girlfriend feel worse.

Still, you can't help but worry, not knowing what the hell is actually wrong with Santana and wondering if this will be a permanent thing or not. You'd really like some more answers by now but the doctor is not willing to discuss anything without 'further testing'. Thus it isn't long before Santana is wheeled off from her room for some scans and you are once more left alone to wait.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 5<strong>

"Here let me help you" you offer as Santana tries to pry the door open while also holding a bag with her stuff in her good hand.

On your way up to your apartment she refused to let you carry her things and you had accepted that easily enough. The last few days in the hospital she had refused any kind of help but you understood. You know she is frustrated at her inability to talk and you get that she is maybe somewhat compensating by showing everyone (and herself) that she is not helpless in everything.

Even now she ignores your offer to help and continues to struggle with the door knob which she can't seem to turn properly.

She huffs in annoyance before eventually letting the bag she is holding drop to the floor with a thud and succeeding in gaining entry to the apartment. After that she strides inside, ignoring what she just dropped, and making her way towards your bedroom.

You don't really blame her for her somewhat rude mood. Her stay in the hospital has been rough, especially after the talk you two had with your girlfriend's doctor.

_Aphasia _

It's what he had called Santana's 'condition', a word that you had never heard before. He had explained to you that it causes a different array of language problems, ranging from not being able speak to not being able to understand words. In Santana's situation the first of those was obviously the case and the doctor had said that there was some kind of blockage that kept her from finding the right words.

He had also shown you the black and white scans of Santana's brain and had pointed out the little white spot of brain damage that was apparently the cause of the so called aphasia.

Seeing it with your own eyes had scared you quite a lot. _Brain Damage_, it sounded so serious and horrible and _permanent_.

You had asked the doctor then if there weren't any surgeries or drugs or whatever that could help and he had given you a sympathetic look before telling you that there weren't.

Nevertheless, he did tell you that people with aphasia often benefit from lots of intensive speech therapy and that the possibility for improvement was certainly there. However in the same breath he had also warned you that this wasn't true for all cases and that the aphasia could in fact be – as you feared – permanent.

At those words you had felt your girlfriend stiffen beside you and the tremble in her hand as you held it was clearly noticeable. You didn't even have to look or ask to know that she was beyond scared at that moment and it was then that you decided not to let her become part of that percentage of people that never got better.

You would be here for her, to support her and help her in any way you could. You would bring her to whatever speech therapy she needed and if she ever got frustrated or mad or scared you would comfort her and tell her you were here for her.

Whatever mood she was in, you would deal. Simply because you just love her so damn much that you know she is worth every little effort.

It's that decision that now makes you simply pick up Santana's bag as you follow her inside.

After putting away all her stuff you carefully make your way inside your bedroom, not quite sure what to expect.

What you do find breaks your heart even more as you are greeted by the sight of your girlfriend hunched over the worn out notebook you know so well.

It's her story book. One of the books in which she has been writing down all kinds of stories she has come up with ever since she has been a little girl.

When you had just started dating you had seen the book around a few times and had even asked her about it on occasion. Santana however had always been quiet about it, claiming it wasn't important. Then, after about half a year of dating, one night with a shy look on her face she had shoved the book in your hands and had told you to read it. She had sat on the couch facing you as you did just that. You read for two hours, laughing and crying at the amazing stories she had written.

Afterwards you had told her she had an amazing talent and from then on she had let you enjoy her stories more and more.

Eventually she had had the courage to admit to you that ever since she was a little girl she had been so in love with different stories and books that she had always dreamt about someday writing a book herself.

Following that confession you had been a constant support, asking her about it an encouraging her to follow her dream and give it a try.

And try she did. She had started writing four months ago and you had watched her work, writing old school with pencil on paper before typing it out. You had loved to see her so concentrated and enthusiastic about it and it had made your heart swell in pride.

It's the complete opposite of what you feel now.

You watch as she sets the tip of her pencil down on the paper of her notebook, before slowly and deliberately drawing a line. A line that goes nowhere and pretty soon she nearly growls in annoyance before violently scratching out the word she just attempted to write.

It's a process that repeats itself over and over before eventually she gets so frustrated that she simply scratches the paper full with angry pencil strokes, ruining anything that was written on the page before.

Then with a big wordless yell she throws the whole notebook and pencil against the wall before lowering her head and bringing her hands to her eyes.

You are moving towards her as soon as you hear the sobs start up and you keep holding her as the day wears on, letting her cry in your neck as you do your best to comfort her.

If you weren't scared before you sure as hell are now. You have no idea how Santana will handle herself now she can't even do the one thing that always gave her comfort and always gave her an escape from whatever reality threw at her.

You know now for sure, she just _has_ to get better.

You will make sure of it.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 6<strong>

Turns out that taking care of Santana and helping her improve her speech is a lot harder than you thought it would be. You have no idea where to actually start when it comes to helping her and it's not because you haven't done enough research.

The truth of the matter is, is that by now you have a vast amount of knowledge of any kind of speech therapy there is. The kicker however is the fact that you can't actually use it.

Or rather: Santana won't let you use it.

When you had offered her to join her in speech therapy she had shook her head no and had quickly dismissed any other similar offer. Then, after every therapy session, you had asked if it had been good and she had just simply nodded, clearly showing that she would like no further questions about it.

You know she is still frustrated at herself and that she isn't progressing as quickly as she would like, but damn it you can't help but sometimes feel frustrated right along with her.

Not because so far you haven't heard her say a word yet and not because your normally song filled, busy apartment is now a silent one, but because you feel so terribly useless.

No matter how hard you try, Santana still refuses to let you in and let you help her. It forces you to stand on the side-lines and just watch the girl you love so much struggle on her own. Your heart aches every time you see her get mad at herself over her notebook and whenever you hear her cry in the shower. She denies is whenever you ask about it though so there is not really much you can do.

The total lack of communication – spoken or otherwise - is simply driving you crazy.

Currently, you are venting just this to Rachel who came over to visit while your girlfriend is at one of her many therapy sessions.

It's nice to hear from someone else that you are not crazy or selfish for feeling the way you feel right now. "It's completely understandable" Rachel tells you "Of course you feel helpless and it's only natural to get frustrated at that."

You nod along emphatically, glad that she gets it. "I want to be here for her and support her you know?" you ask her unnecessarily "but she makes it so hard sometimes."

"That's Santana for you" the other girl supplies "even back in high school whenever something happened she would build up these huge walls and get all snix-like. It must kill her not to be able to verbally release herself like that…"

She trails off, looking at you uncertainly, obviously not knowing if she is crossing some sort of line. You give her a gentle smile though, letting her know that things are fine and that she is actually right on the money.

"You know what the worst thing is," you sigh, throwing you head back against the headrest of your couch "it's the not knowing. I could handle not being able to help if I just knew that she was going to be fine. But now, now I have no clue how things are going, if she's making progress or what she is feeling."

You feel disconnected from your girlfriend and it's an absolutely awful feeling.

Rachel lays a comforting hand on your arm and in return you give her a thankful smile. Honestly, you don't know how you'd cope with your weekly venting talks with Rachel and/or Kurt.

Just then suddenly you hear keys in the lock of your front door and before you know it Santana comes striding in.

"Hi babes" you greet her, trying your best to pick yourself up and be supportive of her. "Was therapy good?"

At that she nods while hanging up her coat on one of the hooks near the door. Then she turns towards you, giving both Rachel and you a (somewhat forced) smile before giving you a nod in greeting and walking through the room, heading straight towards the bedroom.

"It was nice to see you too Santana!" Rachel yells after her making you glare at her somewhat annoyed and afraid she might close off Santana even more. "What?" she asks innocently, "just because she can't talk doesn't means she can be rude."

No matter how much you try and even though you don't agree with the brunette's methods, you can't really deny that she might just be right.

It's a feeling that sticks with you for the rest of the day, even when Rachel has been long gone and you are preparing dinner for you and Santana.

You're making lasagna alfredo, one of your girlfriend's favourites, in the hopes to maybe cheer her up a bit.

However when you call out to her that dinner is ready there is no response and when you walk towards your bedroom you see she is once again engrossed in one of her notebooks.

"Santana babes, will you come for dinner?" you ask once more, making her look up at you and shake her head, indicating she doesn't want any dinner.

"You have to eat" you argue back, earning yourself a shrug of her shoulders.

You sigh, running your hand through your hair and letting your shoulders sag. "Damn it Santana" you tell her, not able to keep the frustration out of your voice. "If you're not hungry fine, but at least come and sit with me as I eat. You have been basically ignoring me ever since we left the hospital and I am getting so sick of it"

This is probably not the best conversation to be having right now since it's not really supportive and you already feel guilty about it, but you can't help it. You can't continue on like this, she can't keep you on the outside forever. You're her girlfriend and she is yours, you should be fighting through this together.

"I want to be here for you Santana" you thus continue "but I can't do that if you keep acting like this. I want us to work through this situation together."

You have her full attention now, you see it in her watery eyes, and you keep her gaze. Staring at her intensely you tell her "Can't you see how much I love you and that it's killing me to not be able to help?"

With that you leave her alone again and start dinner by yourself.

She doesn't show up throughout it, which is fine for now, you just really hope your words actually sunk in and things will be different from now on.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 7<strong>

The next day you come home actually feeling a bit better. You had an early shift at the diner you work at and when you left Santana had still been sleeping.

You had seen it as a good sign that she had actually slept next to you in your bed instead of on the couch as she had done before on rare occasions when she got mad.

It gave you hope that maybe your words had touched upon something inside her and she had actually seen just how much you had been struggling too. Maybe she'd see that she didn't have to fight alone and that you two could be strong and fight together.

"Hello!?" you therefore call into your silent apartment, hoping Santana will come out from wherever she is and greet you. When there is no such reaction you go to investigate the apartment yourself. Not finding her in the kitchen or in the bedroom, you check the bathroom as a last effort.

Your girlfriend isn't there either and you get slightly worried, especially knowing that she does not have a speech therapy session planned for today and that she normally doesn't leave the house for anything else.

When you walk into the kitchen again however you find a note on the kitchen counter.

Your heart pounds in your chest as you walk towards it and sure enough on that little piece of paper you recognize the familiar handwriting of your girlfriend.

'Store' it reads and at first you don't understand. That is, until you see the crude little drawings of a carrot and some grapes beneath the writing and you get it. A quick glance at the fridge where you normally keep the grocery list confirms it.

Santana went to the grocery store. She finally left your apartment for something other than speech therapy, and not only that, she also wrote a word! Granted it's just one simple word and she obviously didn't know the word 'grocery' put it's still more than you have seen since her accident and you are really, really proud.

You actually go as far as taking the note and putting it in your bedside drawer, wanting to save it as a keepsake.

After that you sit at the kitchen table, messing around on your phone and excitedly waiting for her to come home.

Half an hour later however your mood has dropped considerably and your worry is back. You're pretty sure Santana should have been home by now. The grocery store is on the corner of your block and only a half a minute walk away. Your grocery list wasn't very long either, at least not long enough to warrant a thirty minute shopping spree.

You take a few more minutes to contemplate what to do before deciding to just go for it and head to the store to check things out. If Santana sees you and takes offence of you checking up on her you'll just make up an excuse and tell her you were suddenly craving some apple juice or whatever.

The walk towards the store does in fact take you thirty-two seconds (you checked) and once you get inside you immediately start looking around.

Since the store isn't really big it doesn't take you long to find her. She's in the frozen-foods aisle and a quite attractive woman is talking to her.

At first you get a bit annoyed, you were at home worrying and she is here enjoying herself with some random woman. However immediately after that initial feeling of annoyance you remember that Santana can't actually be having random conversations with strangers.

It's then that you take a closer look and actually realise your girlfriend doesn't look comfortable _at all_. Her fist are balled at her sides and you can see the distinct tenseness of her jaw, the same tenseness she usually got right before one of her snix rants.

Without thinking about it further you approach the two of them and as you get closer you too tense up.

You can clearly hear what the woman is saying now and it makes your insides coil in anger.

"Do you need me to call someone? Where is your guardian?" She's asking in a kind of high-pitched and slow way that you normally use on little children when they don't understand something.

To make matters worse the woman tries to reach out and grab Santana by the elbow, making your girlfriend jerk back and instinctively let out a string of syllables that were obviously meant to be words but mean nothing right now.

"Oh you poor thing" the woman sighs in sympathy "don't worry we will get you back where you belong safe and sound."

Before she can reach over again or say anything even more idiotic you step in, physically placing yourself between the woman and Santana.

You reach back with your right hand searching for your girlfriend's and you squeeze it reassuringly once you find it. She gives you a soft squeeze back in thanks and you open your mouth to speak.

It's too late though because the she-devil is already talking again "Oh, are you her guardian?" she asks, smiling as if she has just done something wonderful. "This one here was just wandering about alone, but don't worry as soon as I noticed she was _special_ I kept her here with me until you got back."

You feel Santana grip your hand tightly at her idiotic presumption and before you can stop yourself your protective side comes up. "Listen to me closely lady" you tell the woman, stepping forward and getting in her face "just because she can't talk right now does not mean she is any less intelligent than you. In fact I'd bet everything I own on the fact that you are probably the dumbest, most ignorant, and most self-righteous bitch I have ever met."

At that the woman just gapes at you, staring dumbly with her mouth half open. You obviously shocked her with your outburst but you sure as hell don't give a damn right now.

"Come on babe, let's go home" you tell your girlfriend and she follows you willingly but not before shoulder checking the woman as she passes her.

The walk home is silent and Santana keeps staring at her feet. You would love to know what is going on in that pretty head of hers but you have no idea how to approach this situation.

In the store you had certainly noticed the mix of anger and humiliation in her eyes and you know from previous experience that maybe it's best to just let her be for a while. Therefor you are not surprised that once you get back Santana immediately heads towards your bedroom again.

With a sigh you let yourself fall back on your couch and reach out for the tv-remote, prepared for another night of mindless TV show watching.

You have just switched to animal planet when you are pleasantly surprised by the feeling of someone else sitting down on the couch besides you.

Turning sideways you are greeted by the sight of Santana, looking at you with a mixture of emotions. In turn you catch her gaze, trying to get a read on her. You can clearly see the uncertainty in her features as she keeps your eyes locked and holds out the notebook in her hands.

You reach for it, also uncertain, but when you see the slight hint of the smile on the corner of her lips you grab it fully and smile back.

"What is this?" you ask, not quite sure what is going on.

In response she waves her hand at the book, indicating for you to open it.

Doing so you are greeted by words in an unfamiliar penmanship reading 'practise notebook'. Then, as you flip the next couple of pages, you discover that the whole notebook is filled with images of objects with their names underneath them.

"Is this how you practise your words in speech therapy?" you ask her, smiling widely at the fact that she is _finally_ letting you in.

At that she nods and before you even realise it she turns around, lays back on the couch and brings her head up on your lap.

You smile down at her happily, feeling the closeness between you grow stronger once more. Her clear show of affection and her seeking contact is a big step in the right direction and you could not be happier.

She is smiling right back at you and you stay that way for a few minutes, just looking at each other and grinning. However, not being the most patient person, Santana eventually taps the notebook again, pushing it in front of your face.

At first you are confused as to what you are supposed to do with it but then it dawns on you. "You want to practise together?"

When she nods once more you are pretty sure that your heart is about to burst and with a final kiss on her forehead you lean back against the couch, flipping back to the beginning in the notebook, and ready to practise on her speech.

This time you'll do it together.

* * *

><p><strong>Part 8<strong>

"I'll be right back," you tell the man that just ordered a coffee with a big smile.

Even though you are currently only two hours into an eight hour shift at the diner you can't help but be exceptionally cheerful.

The last few days have been absolutely perfect.

You and Santana have been practicing her words daily now and even though you still need to repeat each word a few times before she can get it out properly, you can still clearly see the improvement.

She also seems to be getting more confident in herself, no longer embarrassed when she can't pronounce something properly but rather determined to do get it right. It makes you all the more closer, you are working together now and your pride of her only seems to drive her on more and more.

Your outlook on the future is certainly rose coloured and you have absolute faith that things will be as before the accident again (or even better).

The cheerful mood you are in makes the time fly by and before you even know it your shift has come to an end.

You speed walk home in the disappearing sunlight, excited to spend the night on the couch with Santana and take-out food for your daily practise session. However when you come home you immediately know that things will be different tonight.

Not only do you catch a whiff of fresh cooked dinner coming from the kitchen but you also notice that the couch you normally sit on has been pushed back a few feet. In its place there is now a different array of blankets and pillows, looking very cosy in the dim light of multiple candles lit around the room.

"Baby?" you call out towards the kitchen where you hear Santana moving around "what is all this?"

It takes a while but then your girlfriend comes out, wearing one of her tight black dresses and carrying two plates of steaming food. On her face her white teeth shine behind her lipstick-red lips as she smiles that cocky smile of hers. She knows she has surprised you and she is obviously damn proud of herself for that.

She walks past you to place the two plates on the small table near the blankets and pillows before turning towards you and waving you closer. Once you are within her range she grabs your hips, pulling you towards her and giving you a soft kiss on your lips.

You smile into it, butterflies filling your stomach even now after more than two years of dating.

Once you two part she pulls you down onto the little pillow-paradise and you settle besides her.

"This is the best date ever" you tell her giddily, accepting the plate she hands to you. "Really baby, thank you for all of this."

She wiggles her eyebrows cutely in return before digging in her food. You follow her lead, taking a bite and moaning at the great taste of it.

Your plates are empty pretty soon and you feel completely sated except for one little thing… "So is there also dessert?" you ask teasingly, knowing for sure that she hasn't forgotten about your not-so-secret obsession for chocolate desserts.

In turn she rolls her eyes at you, obviously amused by your predictability. She does nod however and with an excited clap you grab your plates, fully intend to take care of dessert since she already served up dinner.

She tugs at your arm though, stopping you in your tracks.

You place the plates back on the table and turn towards her, giving her your full attention like she obviously wants.

It's pretty evident that something important is up with the way she is looking at you and you nod at her, showing she has your full attention.

Her hands find yours and you feel they are slightly trembling, it makes you frown a bit in worry. "Baby? What…" you go to ask her what's going on but she quickly silences you with a finger on your lips.

Of course you get the hint and you keep quiet for now, giving her an encouraging look.

You see her swallow a few times but then a determined look comes over her face.

She stares into your eyes directly, opening her mouth and taking a deep breath.

You lean forward in anticipation and soon enough your ears are filled with the most wonderful voice and the most amazing three words you have ever heard.

"I love you"

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

**7 years later**

"Drink" she suddenly says making you look up from the stove and face her.

"What do you want to drink baby?" you ask her, understanding immediately what she means after having conversations like this before.

She frowns at your question, eyeing the different cartons of juice just out of her reach. It's obvious that she doesn't know the right word for whatever drink she wants and after some contemplation she ends up just pointing at one of them.

"Orange juice" you tell her, pouring her some as she does her best to repeat your words.

She fails quite horribly but you can't help but find it super cute. You're just about to tell her what a cutie-pie she really is when your wife enters the kitchen too.

"Mama! Juice!" little Sophie yells excitedly in response, holding up her cup proudly.

Santana chuckles softly, making her way towards the both of you and giving you both a kiss on the head. "Good morning my cuties" she tells you both before going ahead and pouring two cups off coffee.

As she settles down at the kitchen counter next to your daughter and you continue on with your pancakes you can't help but think how lucky you are to have them both in your life. Especially the fact that just seven years ago you got so close to actually losing the love of your life makes you thank your lucky stars.

Things after the accident had been hard of course, but you had worked through everything together and in the end your relationship had come out stronger.

In the years following Santana's speech had improved a lot too. Even though she still sometimes has some trouble finding specific words her speech and writing are pretty much near perfect. At least perfect enough to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a bestselling author…

All in all your life is pretty damn amazing right now. Santana has her writing job which she loves, you have your music career that has skyrocketed immensely, and above all you have this amazingly cute and sweet daughter that is currently in the process of learning how to talk.

Your happy thinking suddenly gets interrupted by the feel of warm arms wrapping around you from behind.

Sighing you lean back in your wife's embrace, smiling into the kiss she drops on your lips before she asks you what you were thinking about.

"You and Sophie" you tell her dreamingly. "And about how much I love the both of you."

Now it's her turn to smile and you feel her squeeze you closer as she tells you: "I love you too".

It fills you with warmth and you know for sure you will never ever tire of those three words. They are the most beautiful thing you have ever heard, sharing their number one spot in the list of favourite-things-to-hear with only one more thing…

"I wuf you toooo!" Sophie suddenly shrieks happily.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you liked the story! Feel free to let me know what you tought about it.<strong>

**I'm also open for new prompts, both dantana, quinntana and brittana.**  
><strong>You can message me on my tumblr (etjetaimee)<strong>


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